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Different Size Aggregates of Stone Quarry Products and Airborne Particles around a Facility in Akure, Southwestern Nigeria: Radioactivity Concentrations, Radiological Hazard and Dose Assessment


Affiliations
1 Department of Industrial Chemistry, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
2 Department of Geophysics, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
3 Physics Unit, Department of Science Laboratory, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Nigeria
 

This study sets out to verify the hypothesis that size aggregate of quarry rock particles affects the radiation doses. Samples of freshly and previously crushed finished stone dust of different aggregate size were collected in the factory and airborne dusts were collected around quarry facility during October, 2014 to September, 2015. The activity concentrations of 40K, 238U, and 232Th in samples were determined by gamma ray spectrometry. The average mean activity concentrations in fresh samples for 238U, 232Th and 40K were 35.56±5.67, 42.41±5.66 and 1164.17±16.33 Bq/kg respectively. Meanwhile, those of previous samples were 29.93±6.09, 44.87±5.73 and 1087.94±15.87 Bq/kg for 238U, 232Th and 40K respectively. The radium equivalent values for the stone dust samples in this work are higher than the accepted safe limit of 370 Bq/kg . The committed effective dose via inhalation of dust ranged from 0.450 to 0.471 μSv. It was concluded that prolong inhalation of dust in the area could pose health risk to individual.

Keywords

Aggregates of Stone Quarry, Airborne Particles, Radioactivity, Dose Assessment.
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  • Different Size Aggregates of Stone Quarry Products and Airborne Particles around a Facility in Akure, Southwestern Nigeria: Radioactivity Concentrations, Radiological Hazard and Dose Assessment

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Authors

Emmanuel Gbenga Olumayede
Department of Industrial Chemistry, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
Kehinde O. Sodeinde
Department of Industrial Chemistry, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
Christopher O. Akintade
Department of Industrial Chemistry, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
Bamidele Odunayo Emmanuel
Department of Geophysics, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
Ayodele Akintoye
Physics Unit, Department of Science Laboratory, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Nigeria
Olabode Oladunjoye Peter
Department of Geophysics, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstract


This study sets out to verify the hypothesis that size aggregate of quarry rock particles affects the radiation doses. Samples of freshly and previously crushed finished stone dust of different aggregate size were collected in the factory and airborne dusts were collected around quarry facility during October, 2014 to September, 2015. The activity concentrations of 40K, 238U, and 232Th in samples were determined by gamma ray spectrometry. The average mean activity concentrations in fresh samples for 238U, 232Th and 40K were 35.56±5.67, 42.41±5.66 and 1164.17±16.33 Bq/kg respectively. Meanwhile, those of previous samples were 29.93±6.09, 44.87±5.73 and 1087.94±15.87 Bq/kg for 238U, 232Th and 40K respectively. The radium equivalent values for the stone dust samples in this work are higher than the accepted safe limit of 370 Bq/kg . The committed effective dose via inhalation of dust ranged from 0.450 to 0.471 μSv. It was concluded that prolong inhalation of dust in the area could pose health risk to individual.

Keywords


Aggregates of Stone Quarry, Airborne Particles, Radioactivity, Dose Assessment.

References